Rachel Higgins & The Forbidden Forest
by Rayla Finch
Summary: Rachel receives her Hogwarts letter and makes friends with Albus and Rose. Martin Anderson, a friend of Albus, joins the trio in their new experiences. One day, Rachel realizes that Martin is always going missing and is determined to figure out why.
1. Chapter 1: The Prophet

**Chapter 1: **_**The Prophet**_

_**A/N: Hey, I hope you like this. Just something I thought up. I hope it's not too bad! Enjoy!**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own what you recognize! I wish I did, but I sadly don't. If only! **

Rachel peered out her window as she heard the distant rattle of a rumbling engine belonging to a silver mini-van. She huffed as she slumped back onto her messy bed, intently waiting for the correct car to charge down the road.

This behaviour of jumping up to be disappointed continued for an entire hour on that marvellous Summer Wednesday, until the noise began again. She climbed off her bed once more to see that the two newspapers had arrived.

She pushed out her room, bolted down the stairs two steps at a time, and cantered along the country side driveway. The two papers were then scooped up quickly. Rachel folded _The Examiner_ under her arm while she opened up the _The Prophet,_ reading the headline: _'Headmistress of Hogwarts: Truly Ready for Another Year?'_

She scoffed at this remark. Rachel had been receiving _The Prophet_ for a little over two months now and had realized that this 'Rita Skeeter' woman had a nasty tendency to criticize this Professor.

Rachel walked back to the house, dropping _The Examiner_ on the kitchen table when she walked inside. She secretly took the other newspaper to her room. Sitting back on her bed, she read through the entire paper like every regular Wednesday afternoon. She mostly watched the moving pictures, for they were always so intriguing to Rachel (mostly because she couldn't seem to understand the mechanism behind it).

Her paper had never been properly seen by anyone, except for Daryl, a kid a year younger than Rachel who lived across the street. He was able to read it and see the pictures moving, while Rachel's older sibling, Marie, was fit to believe that _The Prophet_ was only a clump of blank sheets of paper. She had given subtle hints to everyone she knew about _The Prophet_, but no one else but Daryl and Rachel had the slightest clue as to what she meant, so she gave up asking.

Rachel was flipping to the last page to read the advertisements (because she found them bizarrely interesting, like one shop that sold magical broomsticks), to find an envelope resting in the fold crevice. It had been addressed to her in seamless, black ink:

_Miss R. Higgins_

_The North Upstairs Bedroom_

_78 Elkington Road_

_Yelvertoft_

_England_

She peeled the letter cautiously, perplexed by the thought that someone had known where she slept. She tugged a slip of paper out of the envelope and read to herself:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Ana Brinson_

_(Order of Merlin, Second Class)_

_Dear Miss Higgins,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Igor Gigs_

_Deputy Headmaster_

Rachel was sure that her mind was to combust from the confusion she felt, but slowly pieced it together like a 2000 part jig-saw puzzle. She looked back at the paper and realized that now everything made sense.

The first thing Rachel did was reach for a scrap piece of paper to scribble on. She wrote:

_Hey,_

_Daryl, get over here! It's The Prophet! I can't believe it! You need to come over, NOW!_

_P.S. Carry back Dinah, she's getting old._

Later that day, William answered the door to an unusual looking stranger. He stood tall and scrawny, his spotted grey hair ruffled on his head. His face was wrinkled, but friendly.

"Is Miss Rachel home?"

Will gave the man a weird look.

"And you are...?"

"Professor Gigs, dear boy. I'm from an extra-ordinary school, and I would like to speak with your sister about attending."

"Er- I'll go get her."

William burst into Rachel's room, where he found her and Daryl starring down at a letter, reading it.

"...And it says that first years, I guess that'd be me, aren't allowed to have broomsticks-"

"Oh hey Dare. Ray, some man is at the door to talk to you about some school thing-"

Almost knocking William to the floor, Ray jumped up and ran downstairs to the kitchen with Daryl and William following. "Are you from this Hogwarts place?" She asked without hesitation, holding her letter up towards his face.

"You managed your letter alright then?"

"Err- yeah," breathed Rachel heavily. "Rachel Higgins, but by the letter, you must already know that."

"Indeed, indeed. Professor Gigs, Deputy Headmaster," He gave a weak smile towards her and shook her hand. "Though it all seems silly, I need you to take this very seriously."

Rachel gave a slight nod towards him, with the two boys mimicking her movement.

"Rachel Higgins, I must inform you that you're a witch and have access to magical abilities. I would think best that you come and find your place at our school."

Rachel nodded and smiled slightly.

"Come in, our mum should be getting home from work any minute."

Gigs walked in and sat down at the kitchen table.

"I have a few questions I wanna ask-"

"I would think so, ask away." He laughed in his seat then straightened back up, ready to answer a mountain high pile of curiosity.

"You see, Mr. Gigs, I believe you and all that. I've been getting this news paper for a few months now, every Wednesday. I know it's true, I know it's real. I just want to see some magic. I've been waiting to see someone from the paper, to ask about all of this stuff that no one but me and Daryl get. Could you just please show me something so I know I'm not crazy?"

A wide grin broke out over Professor Gigs face. "Ah, this is my favourite, proving magic exists!" He pulled out a long stick in his pocket and laid it on the table. "You see this?"

They nodded.

"This is a standard wand. Mine happens to be 12 inches, made of willow, and has a core of hippogriff talon. Though I didn't receive mine in Diagon Alley like you will, it's all the same."

Rachel had heard of hippogriffs in her English class when they were studying mythology, but like the look on Daryl's face, she was too astounded that they existed.

"With a wand, you can control your magic."

"But I can already-"

"Not in the same way, but out of curiosity, you mean?"

"Dinah, my cat. I can sort of make her do things. I don't say anything, It just happens. Me and Daryl, we send messages that way. If I want her to take a piece of paper to him, she does."

The professor looked at her for a moment then decided on replying. "And he, Daryl. Can he send her back?"

"Only sometimes," spoke Daryl. "It's an on and off sort of thing."

"Hmm." Mr. Gigs sat puzzled for a moment when he suddenly spoke again, changing the tracks of the conversation. "Anyone thirsty?"

"There's a tap over there if you need a drink?" suggested Will.

"No, no, this is different," said Gigs, pointing towards a cup sitting on the counter not too far away. He did this with his wand. They all turned to look at the empty cup to find it filling with what Will later tested as water.

"You like that? Here..."

The next thing Rachel knew, the cup was floating over to them, resting itself on the table.

Just at that moment, Janet, their mother, walked in the kitchen door from work. "Hey kids, oh and hello Daryl. Your mother phoned me to tell you that you have to be home by-" Her mother stood silent when she saw the Professor. She put her hands on her hips as she asked "Who's this?"

William bursted quickly. He ran towards her saying "He's from a school, and he's invited Rach to go!"

Their mother pursed her lips and stood silent for a few moments before saying "What's it called?"

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, one of the finest institutions in the entire-"

"Did you say witchcraft?"

"Yes, I did indeed," replied Gigs, expression blank on his face.

Their mother froze and muttered something under her breath. "Daryl, Rachel, and you too, Will. Can you go across the road to Daryl's and tell his mother that I need to speak with her immediately?

"Uh, sure, Miss H," replied Daryl.

The three walked across the street to tell Daryl's mother that she had told us to tell her that their mother needed her over, for something rather weird. They ended up staying at Daryl's house for a good two hours. In the mean time, Rachel and Daryl attempted to levitate objects as Professor Gigs had, but only they didn't own wands, so their attempt was trying solely with their minds. Rachel achieved a small wiggle when trying to move a pencil, while Daryl was unsuccessful. Will also tried, but there was no doubt that he would fail.

Daryl's mother returned around three in the afternoon and Will and Rachel were to go home. Janet was waiting in the kitchen, leaning against the table, arms crossed when the pair walked in. Professor Gigs was nowhere to be seen so it was assumed that he had also left.

"So am I going? I really want to go."

Her mother sighed and finally let out a breath that sounded like 'yes'. Rachel jumped up and down, her arms flying around her waist.

"Thank you!"

"Now, settle down, I have some news."

Her face was serious and strained, as if it pained her to speak it. They all sat on the couch, and as did Marie, as she had just returned from her part-time job.

"Ray, you will be escorted by Professor Gigs to Diagon Alley, where you will buy all of your school books and equipment that you need. Daryl will be going too, as we already know that he should receive his letter next year."

"What about me?" This came from Will. He looked deep into her eyes.

"I'm sorry dear, but you'll have to wait until another time."

"But, me and Daryl, we're the same age!"

Janet took a deep breath, assuming she was attempting to stay calm, but sadly this didn't work when she spoke. "This is why I didn't want any of them to find us! I knew they would, but I hoped that I could just politely tell them no..."

"Mum, what're you talking about?" Rachel sat, confused.

"Your new school, that's what I'm talking about!" She took in another breath, kneeled in front of the couch and looked at the three children straight in their eyes. "Ray, you're mine, we know that. Will, Marie, you know that I'm not your mother, you're Henry's kids from your mother before." She began to tear up as she continued. "I'm a witch, Ray, my blood, your blood. I never meant to bring this on you!"

"Why, is it bad?"

"No, no, just- just dangerous. There was war, honey, wars between wizards, giants, and so many dark creatures. I went into hiding, but I ended up having you, then I met Henry and you two." She pointed towards Marie and Will, her hands shaking.

Ray looked over at Marie, who was devastated, her faced disgusted by her step mother, the very step mother that she lived with, confided with, and had grown to love since her father and Janet met. This 'mother' of Marie, was nothing more than a freak and a liar in her eyes.

Ray then looked at Will, to see that he was just wonderstruck and intrigued.

"Please, please, no... don't be mad! I love you three so much; I can't stand to lose you!"

Marie opened her mouth to talk but was unable to find her voice for a few moments. "Does he know?"

Janet just looked at Marie without moving a muscle.

"DOES HE KNOW?!"

Janet shook her head and continued to weep. Marie stood suddenly from the couch and ran out the back door, slamming it on her way out.

"It's okay, mum, everything's okay."

"No, no it's not," stuttered her mother, "Will, say goodbye. Marie will probably be calling your father now, telling him everything. I'll drop you off at his work. He won't want to live here much longer..."

Will's face began to harden like a sped up video clip focused on a freezing bucket of water. He hugged Rachel tightly and whispered to her, "Don't go."


	2. Chapter 2: Diagon Alley

**Chapter 2: Diagon Alley**

_**A/N: Hey again! I hope you like it so far! If not, oh well. I tried, didn't I? ANYWAY, for those who are still intrigued, here you are. ONWARD! ^_^**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise. Darn it! BUT I do own my imagination!**

It had been a rough week before the day came of the reappearance of Professor Gigs. Daryl had come over, equipped with a small pouch given to him by his father before he had died. Rachel hadn't spoken to Daryl much over the past week. Her mother was correct when she foretold the event of Henry removing himself and his children from the household. This meant that Rachel's mother was free to use magic as she pleased, making it much easier on Rachel chore wise, though it meant that she was unable to use any electronics.

Janet had not allowed for much to be said about the magical world before this day, leaving her now only daughter surprised when she was to be introduced to it all, or it could be taken as laziness, letting Professor Gigs do all the work of explaining.

"Why aren't you taking me to get my school books? Why Professor Gigs?"

"Because I erased myself from that world, honey. I- I didn't realize that they knew that you were born." She paused and though for a moment before speaking. "The quill! I can't believe that I forgot! Hmm, well, anyways... I might as well be dead, for all the ministry knows. I'll get it all sorted out when you get back from today," she explained, while kneeling down to fix Rachel's outfit.

"How can someone just go missing like tha—"Daryl began to ask before being cut off.

"Both wars were unforgivable and torturing. So many people died, it was hard to calculate deaths. I'm surprised that the muggle world didn't suspect anything."

"And muggles? And ministry?" Ray asked.

"Muggles are people like William, Marie, and Henry, dear. They're people who don't have a magical core, a magical soul. And the ministry... it means the Ministry of Magic, the wizarding government." She stopped explaining when something clicked. "Oh, I almost forgot." She handed her a pouch like Daryl's. "It's not magically enhanced like Daryl's, but it's a good place to store money. It's all you'll need."

"Thanks." She gave her mother a weary smile.

At that moment, Professor Gigs appeared in the fireplace.

"You already got it approved by the Ministry?" asked Janet quickly.

"Not me," he began, "Brinson. She pulled a few strings to get the approval. Good thing too, would've taken a month for them to even get back to anyone else."

"One less job to erase off my list for today. I still have to explain to the ministry that I'm alive... and inform them to send off a few to deal with Henry and the kids..."

Rachel turned, startled. "Deal with them!?"

Janet was about to speak, but Gigs managed to respond for her by simply saying "The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy states that muggles are not permitted to have knowledge of the wizarding society."

Janet nodded her head and looked at Rachel with a 'go ahead' look as she left the room.

"Now, let's get started. Today we will be traveling by floo powder. Do you know what that is?"

"Er, yeah, but I haven't actually used it yet."

"That's no problem that can't be fixed. Now, I want you to carefully repeat after me and throw your powder to the ground"

Rachel stepped into the fire place holding a hand full of powder.

"Di-a-gon Al-ley," he instructed carefully.

"Diagon Ally," she repeated. The floo powder was then thrashed to the ground and she was quickly engulfed in a green fiery flame. Her stomach felt as if it were a ticking time bomb, scheduled to go off any second. She finally set her stomach aside, realizing that she wasn't home anymore.

She stepped into a darkened pub, countless wizards and witches in sight (which was easy to tell as they were all wearing bright coloured cloaks and hats). Many wizards turned to see if anyone familiar had popped in, but alas, they all turned back to their previous tasks. Not much later, a small popping noise sounded from behind her, causing her to spin quickly. Daryl had popped up behind her, Professor Gigs following.

"Alright, now that we've arrived correctly, we'll just step out here," -pulling Rachel and Daryl along to step out into the back alley- "and hit a few bricks"-tapping several bricks with his wand- "and here we are."

Rachel and Daryl were now facing a bustling shopping district. People everywhere had capes, colourful robes, and some had pointy hats like the people in the pub that had recently stood behind them. They were all going into oddly named stores (some of which she recognised from _The _Prophet), having their own agenda.

"This is- This is Diagon Alley?" The buildings looked older, almost as if she was in a story book.

"Come along, and pull out your list and your coins. We have many stores to visit before the day is done."

They first set off to a shop called Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. "First year?" a slim woman who must have been Madam Malkin, asked the boy standing ahead. He nodded. He was standing with a man, in which she presumed was his father.

"Ah, I remember your first robes Mr. Potter. Quite the talk you were."

"Err- yeah. Albus, here, is excited to join his brother this year." Just then Professor Gigs came closer and greeted the man.

He had small round glasses, they looked old and dirty, enough that one would think that he would buy new ones. Gigs ushered him to spare a few details concerning his everyday life and such, pressing the topic. At a certain point, their topic had become the first years on their sides.

"I was just here introducing Rachel here to Diagon Alley, along with Daryl, who'll be attending Hogwarts next year."

They all glanced over to her and Daryl. "Hi, it's nice to meet you." She said, as she shook his hand lightly.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter." She felt as if she had seen his name somewhere before, maybe in her newspaper.

"Rachel Higgins."

"Daryl Grenval"

Albus Potter was introduced just before they had to leave, as his other son James wouldn't stop talking about a new broom stick.

After she bought her robes, her hat, dragon hide protective gloves, and her winter cloak, they headed off to stores that sold things such as books, cauldrons, telescopes, vial sets and brass scales. Rachel looked at her list to see that she needed one more thing. A wand.

They set off to the last shop of the day. She looked at the run down sign; she thought that it must be quite old. This was proven once she finally read it:

_Ollivander's : Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC. _

They entered to find a pale, old man with wispy thin, white hair starring at her with a grin.

"Ah, hello. Your names? First years, I presume?"

"Rachel Higgins. And yeah, but it's only me today."

"Well, don't fear, we shall find you a wand soon enough."

He then began the searching process while a floating and intelligent measuring tape came and did exactly as its name intended it would do. It measured the length if her arm and floated back towards Mr. Ollivander, who was perched high up on a ladder looking at small, rectangular, black boxes. He handed her one he had been studying, taking a small piece of wood out of it beforehand.

"Fir, ten inches, phoenix feather. Give it a swish." Before doing so, she couldn't help but feel silly.

"Can't I just pick one?" asked Rachel. She could hear her professor laughing in the background oh so slightly.

"Oh no, Miss Higgins. The wand chooses the wizard, not the other way around." Mr. Ollivander said with an odd twinkle in his eye. Rachel was confused. It wasn't as if wands had feelings, right? She swished the wand anyway, breaking a vase placed on a shelf.

"No, no, no," he muttered as his hand snatched it from her. He kept handing her wands for the next few minutes. Fir, Holly, Apple, Cherry Tree. It felt as if the right one was nowhere in sight. This only made Mr. Ollivander more interested.

"This is hopeless, Daryl," she whispered to him while Ollivander was busy looking at boxes.

Daryl only shook his head and gestured towards Mr. Ollivander, who seemed to be attempting to catch her attention.

"Hmm, try this one." He handed her the wand.

"Oak, 13 inches, Unicorn Hair"

He handed it to her and Rachel gave it a flick. To her surprise, nothing broke, but everything magically began to fix itself, flying across the room, over her head.

"I believe we've found our match." He couldn't help but have an odd, somewhat creepy grin of triumph cross his face.

She bought her wand for 7 galleons and added it to her pile of books and equipment, handing Daryl some of the luggage. Rachel walked away happily and with confidence. This wasn't a dream? She wasn't barmy, was she?

"I truly appreciate everything you've done for me today."

"My pleasure," he said, as she handed her a small piece of paper. And with that they travelled back to Rachel's fireplace, looking forward to tell William all about her trip, but to realize that he was never coming back.

_**A/N: Hey yo Frodo! Holiday Break! Ah, how sweet, how awesome. Because of all this time on my hands, I have much time for these chapters, so the updates will be short (I hope), but after the break, I'll probably update like a tortoise because of exams. I'll try to put as many chapters up as I can! 'FOR NARNIA!' Or should I say 'FOR FRED WEASLEY & DUMBLES!' **_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Hogwarts Express**

_**A/N: Hey, it's me again, Twiggarony! I've been trying for a while to get this up, but I've had WAY too many things going on lately. I hope you forgive me! **_

**Disclaimer: I, Twiggarony, do not own anything you do not recognise. Enjoy! **

She returned home by floo powder with Daryl around four. She piled her trunk and her other magical things in a corner of her room while Daryl organized her new books on the shelf. She searched through her new books, deciding that she'd start on reading _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_. She'd even started working on the levitation charm. By 2:00am, Rachel had mastered the spell, lifting objects around the room.

A day over three weeks passed before her eyes. It was finally the day that she was to leave for Hogwarts. With having completely read _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_, and _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection_, as they seemed the most interesting, Rachel was well prepared for Charms and D.A.D.A. classes.

It was now Friday, the first of September. Her trunk was packed and she was ready to go. She ate quickly; she didn't want to miss the train. Her mother had her tickets in hand so Rachel and her mother, and Daryl and his mother, Ms. Grenval, all piled into the Higgins' car and headed to King's Cross Station.

She stood there for a moment and waited for any sign of nine and three quarters. Daryl stood beside her, eyes wide in thought. Rachel was looking around at the marvelous station full of fast, sleek trains. A _whoosh_ sound came from behind her. The two turned around to see a small family composed of three red heads and one brown haired woman. The people before them had been running themselves into a wall, except they seemed to be traveling straight into it.

"Hustle Rose," the woman said, to a red headed girl. She was wearing black robes and had a large grin on her face.

"Hugo, c'mon. Got to let Rose get her trolley through. You'll get to go to Hogwarts in a few years, you wait," said the man.

Rachel and Daryl's mother came behind them, noticing the man and his son run into a brick wall, vanishing.

"Good, good. So, both of you, hold onto the trolley and push it straight through the wall," directed Janet.

The two did as they were told, both holding onto Rachel's trolley. They pushed the trolley at the wall, flinching as they grew closer, but they did not crash nor fall, but found themselves on a platform labelled nine and three quarters.

Dinah was meowing madly in the carrier as they steadied themselves. They were all surprised to find themselves in another part of the station.

"Wow. This is incredible," she heard Daryl say, quietly.

The two parents came through after them, Janet squealing with excitement as she remembered when she once went to Hogwarts. An old fashioned black and red steam engine seemed to be on their left. They all let go and she pushed the trolley toward the train. It was a sea of people and they were all saying good bye and hugging one another.

"I guess this is goodbye," she huffed over Daryl's shoulder as she pressed him into a hug.

"You'll be fine," he said.

She looked over to Ms. Grenval, hugging her too. Finally, it was time to say good bye to her mother. Her mother knelt down and looked in her eyes. "I don't care what house you're in, alright? Let it be Hufflepuff for all I care."

Rachel and her mother exchanged smiles and hugs before she walked over towards the train.

Walking toward the train, Rachel became nervous of boarding it alone. On she climbed, heaving her things into an empty compartment. She found that most of the compartments proved to be empty, since many students were still saying farewell. She sulked against her window and took out a school book. With her family on the other side of the train, she left her jacket and book in her compartment and jogged across the hall to the other empty compartment to wave. She waved for a few moments then headed back. She thought about moving to the other train compartment, but decided against it.

The other students were boarding the train, pouring in like a tsunami. Almost everyone passed her compartment at first, but once the train began to fill there had been more and more peaking and poking of heads to decide where to sit.

"Can we sit here? Do you mind?" It was a young girl's voice accompanied by a young boy. It was the boy she'd met in Madam Malkin's and the girl she'd seen run into the wall earlier.

"Oh, sure." The two sat down and Albus turned to look at Rachel.

"I'm pretty sure that we've met?" he asked.

Rachel explained that they met at the store.

"Well, I'm glad I'm not with a complete stranger."

"Yeah..."

"Well I'm Rose, it's nice to meet you!" she said, sounding very optimistic.

"Rachel Higgins." Rachel said this nervously.

"I've never heard that last name before. Are you a muggle-born?"

"Actually, I'm not, though I didn't know about magic until a few weeks ago..."

"Wow, really? That must have been difficult, but don't worry we'll teach you everything you need to know!"

The rest of the train ride was fun after that. Albus and Rose bought some candy off the trolley in the hallway, sharing some with her. The chocolate frogs were cool, jumping about the room. They talked about Hogwarts, mainly. The houses were a large topic. Rachel discovered that Albus wanted to be put in Gryffindor, while Rose just agreed, not too concerned.

"Both our parents were in Gryffindor, you know?" explained Albus.

"What house was your mother in?" asked Rose, obviously intrigued.

Rachel pondered for a moment. Her mother had told her everything magnificent about Hogwarts but never the house she had been in the entire time. "I'm- I'm not sure actually. She never told me. Hmph."

"Oh don't worry about it," said Rose.

They dropped the topic quickly, turning towards _Every Flavour Beans_.

Rachel showed them her cat, Dinah, while Albus and Rose showed her their owls. Rachel thought of them as incredibly beautiful, but Albus' owl, Morhin, a Western Screech owl, was a bit nippy and over protective.

Not much later, an older boy dressed in black robes opened the door and poked his head in, wearing a yellow crest on one side of his chest, telling them that it was "time to change into your robes" and "the train should be arriving soon." After he left, Rachel and Albus changed into their Hogwarts wear, for Rose had worn her robes before even getting on the train.

It was becoming dark outside, but Rachel could see lights in the distance. She thought that these must be street lights, or maybe the station lights. The three new friends were silently pressing their faces against the window, trying to get a clear view of the castle from the Hogsmead station.

The train came to a quick halt. The three exited the train together to hear a loud hollering. "Firs'-years! Firs'-years! Gadder aroun'! C'mon, you!" The man who was yelling this was quite large, and had a massive beard that seemed brown, speckled grey. He was holding an old lantern. This then reminded Rachel of the fact that electricity was useless here.

"Hagrid!" Rose was jumping up excitingly, pushing through the others. "Hello Hagird!" said Rose once again after they got close enough for him to hear her correctly.

"Ah, hello Rose, oh and Albus. Who ya got there?" Hagrid was looking at Rachel.

"This is Rachel, we met her on the train," explained Rose. Rose then turned to her. "I hope we're in the same house, I really do." Her smile grew as she said this.

"Yeah, me too." Rachel truly did. The two of them were just so nice.

The load of first year students piled into small boats, with Hagrid leading the way in his own, as he took up the entire space of one.

She shared a boat with Albus and Rose. Albus sat up front, starring at the castle glowing from candle light, while the two girls stayed to the back of the boat, gazing on the sides.

Soon enough they were all waiting in a small room off a hallway. Rachel could hear bustling behind two large doors nearby. Albus and Rose had started a conversation of their own, whispering as they waited. Rachel only stood and kept her eyes looking at the stone floor below her feet, feeling sick and nervous about the house she would be placed in when Rose spoke loud enough for Rachel to join the conversation too.

"Albus, you're going to ask the hat?"

"Well, I do want to be in Gryffindor."

Rose smirked and said nothing at this.

They had been with a man dressed in dark robes as they had entered the castle. He perched himself between the crowd of soon to be students and the rest of the hallway. She noticed it was Professor Gigs, giving him a friendly look.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, I am Professor Gigs, Deputy Headmaster. The start of-term banquet will begin shortly. Before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you must be sorted into your houses. Your house is like your family. You will spend much time with them as you will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common-room." Professor Gigs went on about the importance of the ceremony and the house cup.

"The ceremony takes place in a few moments in front of the school. I suggest you all prepare yourselves in the mean time." He winked at Rachel, giving her a small smile.

Rachel and Rose did exactly that, fixing their hair and making sure try didn't make a fool out of themselves. Albus couldn't help but laugh. Rachel and Rose both tried to fix his hair for him, but his hair seemed impossible to tame.

"Please wait quietly," the professor added as he ducked out of the chamber room they had been placed in. Everyone else began to chatter as they waited.

Rachel turned to see that Rose and a freckled faced boy were yelling at one another.

"You think you're the best but you're not even close!" screamed Rose, angrily.

Rachel stepped between Rose and the freckle faced boy with her arms out horizontally as far as she could reach. "Hey, hey! Leave her be!"

"This isn't your fight, don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!" shouted the boy aggressively.

"Just give this all a rest and be excited for the school year, will ya?" Rachel was about to turn back to her two new friends when the boy spoke again.

"You wouldn't understand. You're probably just some mud-blood aren't you?"

The rest of the crowd silenced, listening in on their argument.

"What if I am? What if I actually have some self respect? Get over yourself. Don't you have something better to do?"

The boy gave Rachel and Rose a bitter glare as Professor Gigs wandered back into the chamber.

"The school is ready for you. Form a line and follow me." They did as they were told, and she heard Rose gulp quietly.

"It's going to be fine, don't be nervous, you'll be put in a great house, I know it," she whispered to Rose. She ended up looking over at Albus on the other side. She could see the stress in his face.

They walked in together and stood in a heap, barely a line. The group walked through big oak doors to see tables that were the longest she'd ever seen. The ceiling was as dark and wondrous as the night sky, candles floating above everyone.

Ahead there was a small, wooden stool with a very dirty and patched hat placed on it. Professor Gigs was holding a large scroll of parchment in his hands. Everyone was looking at the professor when the hat began to twitch. The hat had a voice that filled the room with song, startling Albus, Rose, and Rachel.

"_I'm here to sort and all of that_

_Because I'm the famous sorting hat!_

_I'll put you in a house, one of four_

_Starting with Godric Gryffindor _

_One whose heart is courageous and brave_

_Where they're known as the heroes who save_

_Or in Helga's House of loyalty_

_Hufflepuff will be kind to thee_

_Rowena Ravenclaw, full of knowledge and wit_

_Where the brainy go to seek their fit_

_Or finally with Salazar Slytherin_

_Where the resourceful and ambitious truly win_

_Don't be worried, leave it to me_

_I'll put you where you're meant to be!" _

The song finished and the entire hall applauded. Professor Gigs moved a step forward with the scroll.

"When I call your name, you will sit yourselves on the stool and try on the hat to be sorted."

The entire hall had their eyes on either the group, or Professor Gigs.

"Accip, Irene." The girl slowly walked forward and-

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted.

"Anderson, Martin." This was the freckled-faced boy that Rachel had been arguing with before they had entered the hall.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Rachel's mouth opened wide as he trotted over to the Gryffindor table. She gave a concerned look over to Rose, who looked as if nothing had happened.

Gigs and the hat continued to sort through the students until it was Rachel's turn.

"Higgins, Rachel." Rachel crossed her fingers as she walked forward. She placed the hat on her head and waited. The hat began to whisper.

"Tough this is... where can I put you? You're very intelligent I see, courageous too. Hmm. You're mind is strong and cunning, but Ravenclaw would lead you to magnificence! Hmm, difficult... A mind of knowledge, yes, not afraid of what others wonder..."

The hat continued for five more minutes when students sitting at the four tables began to whisper, "she's a hat stall!"

"Difficult indeed. Gryffindor, Slytherin, or Ravenclaw. Tricky business. "

As the hat became more and more confused as to where she was to be put, Rachel decided to take the sorting into her own hands. She thought about Gryffindor, but Martin... she couldn't. Slytherin? She thought about this longer but remembered the vile stories she'd heard about them, leaving only...

"RAVENCLAW!"

She stood up and faced the high table ahead. Professor Gigs was smiling as she'd hoped. The table closest to her right began to cheer as loud as they could.

"We got a hat stall!" is all she heard, along with, "longest hat stall in history, I reckon!"

She wandered over to the table that stood and jeered loudly, assuming that it was the Ravenclaw house.

They seemed overjoyed, but Rachel didn't know why it was so important. She sat down near the end, as everyone was ushering her to. Once sitting, she remembered about Rose and Albus. They had said they wanted to be in Gryffindor, meaning she may have just lost her two new friends. She looked at Albus and Rose and they seemed to also be looking at her. Rose had a sad look on her face, as did Albus. Rachel gave them a reassuring look and a thumbs up for good measure.

The hat went through the rest of the first years, no one even nearing as long as it took for Rachel to be placed. She heard the names 'Maddle, Hailey', and 'Malfoy, Scorpius', who both became Slytherin, and before she knew it, Albus' turn came around.

He went to sit down on the stool and she could see Rose biting her finger nails. Albus sat there for a few moments until the hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!"

He stood up and wandered over to the Gryffindor table. Many jumped up and yelled in excitement, some of which she assumed was family.

More students were sorted, including a 'Storm, Eric', who became a Hufflepuff, and a 'Vanessa Thomas', who became a Gryffindor.

It was then Rose's turn after some more students had been sorted.

"Weasley, Rose!" shouted the professor.

She sat down on the stool slowly. The hat had barely touched her head before it bellowed, "RAVENCLAW!" Rose looked astonished. A few moments passed and the Ravenclaw table went wild as usual. Rose was excited as she looked at Rachel, but turned to see Albus who seemed happy for her, but clearly disappointed that he would be in his house with neither of the two for company.

She skipped over and sat with Rachel, giving her a big hug. She had been the second last to be sorted, as there had been a 'Zabini, Randall' sorted into Slytherin.

Ravenclaws from all over the table came to pay them and the 9 other new Ravenclaw students a visit and a pat on the back.

She looked up to see Professor Gigs looking out at everyone at the feast as he sat in his seat beside the headmistress.

"Welcome!" the room went silent. "This year at Hogwarts should be a special one! Enjoy the feast!" Brinson went to sit back down. At this moment, the golden dishes in front of them filled themselves with food. Rose and Rachel dug in, happy that they were together. All Rachel could think about was Albus. _Surely he would make friends?_

She laughed with Rose at some jokes that the other Ravenclaws made as they ate. They met a few people, including the house prefect, Slayden Fenthook, along with some family members of Rose and Albus. She met Dominique, who was in her fifth year, and Louis, her younger brother, who was in his 3rd year. She also met their other cousins, Lucy, a second year, and Molly, her sister, who was in her fourth year. According to Rose, other than the family that she had just met, the rest of her family at Hogwarts was in Gryffindor, with the exception of Roxanne, a fourth year in Hufflepuff.

They had almost finished eating when Rose gave her 'the look'.

"Ray, we have to talk to Al before bed just to see if he's alright. We can't just leave him on his own, you know."

She was right. And that was what they intended to do. Rachel looked up at the high table and looked back to see that even the desserts had vanished and Brinson was on her feet.

"Could I have everyone's attention please. Please note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all students. Also, no magic is to be used in between classes or in the corridors on the authority of Mr. Filch. Quidditch trials will be held next week-"

Many students yelled in delight. She even heard chanting of 'GO GO GRYFFINDOR!'

Brinson cleared her throat, silencing everyone. "As I was saying, Professor Anthony should be contacted by the participants. I now wish you all a wondrous year at Hogwarts and I ask you to stay safe."

Many students were ready to leave the hall when four Hufflepuffs broke out singing an odd song about Hogwarts in what sounded like an Opera.

Brinson looked surprised, as she probably didn't intend for a song, but knew exactly what they meant by it. She made the words to the song appear in the air so the rest of the hall could join in, singing to their own tune and tone.

The four Hufflepuffs finished last singing, again in their opera sounding voices. Brinson began to speak for the hall for the last time that night, adding an, "Off to bed you go. Hurry on then."

Everyone heaved out of their seats and the first years of every house gathered around their house prefects. Rose tried to tug Rachel along over to the Gryffindors in the confusion. "Albus!" the two yelled. He scurried over.

"Since it's Saturday tomorrow, we'll meet you down here at breakfast," instructed Rose.

"Alright then, see you tomorrow!" he said, attempting to yell over the massive noise in the hall.

They were caught by Dominique, Rose's cousin who happened to be a Ravenclaw prefect, telling them to get a move on. They came across an enormous room filled with moving stair cases and Rose kept hanging off of Rachel's shoulder, scared of falling off one.

They finally reached the fifth floor and went through a door. This led up a large spiral staircase that seemed to go on for ages. "This is the Ravenclaw tower. Our house is always testing your skills. The other dormitories each have a portrait that requires a password. Ravenclaw's tower is actually a living door knocker that requires an answer to a riddle. You were all sorted into this house for a reason and should use your knowledge to enter the common room."

Rose whispered into her ear, "He reminds me just like my Uncle Percy."

Oblivious to this, he turned to face the golden door knocker. "Which came first, the phoenix, or the flame?" asked the knocker.

He didn't stop to think before answering, "It is a continuous circle and therefore has no beginning."

The door swung open and he led the rest of the house into a round room. Rose and Rachel looked about before he began to talk again. The room was wide, tall, and circular. In the middle of the space was a large, midnight blue carpet. The windows were arched with curtains of blue and bronze. The ceilings reminded Rachel of the night sky, as it was painted with beautiful stars.

They were shown their dormitories, which were left to the large fireplace. The two dormitory doors were on either side of a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw. The girls' dorm was on the left of the statue, while the boys' dormitory was on the right.

It was getting late and they all wandered to the dorms. There were several doors down the dormitory hallway. Each door had a label of what years of girls were in each room. They walked down to the very end of the hallway to find a door that read 'First Years' on a plaque. They walked inside to find their trunks at the foot of their beds. Rachel and Rose were directly beside one another, (the staff must have noticed), and the two were excited. There were only three beds in the room, Rose's bed to the far right, Rachel's beside hers, nearing the middle.

A girl was already sitting on her bed, which was on the other side of Rachel's. Her hair was a silky black and looked at them with a grin. "So, you're Rose Weasley, and Rachel Higgins?" she asked, with her arms crossed.

"Yeah, and you are?" Rachel said, as she held out her hand, intending on a shake.

The girl only stared at her hand, finally giving it a slight shake when she introduced herself as 'Shania Hampt'. She left only moments after that, undoubtedly going to sit in the common room.

Rachel and Rose only laughed as she left, knowing she was going to 'loads of fun' for the rest of their Hogwarts years.

"Is there only three girls?"

Rose looked and scrunched up her nose as she thought. "I guess so. At the table, there were about eleven of us, so the rest of the Ravenclaws in our year must be boys."

Rachel groaned. "At least we're not stuck with two or more Shania's, that's for sure."

Rose and Rachel laughed away, knowing that they'd have to deal with Shania's rude behaviour all year, so they might as well get used to it.

"Well, I'm heading to bed. I'm much too tired for anything."

"I'll be off too. Maybe Al will share a few classes with us!"

Rachel lay in her bed, staring at the top of her four poster that was decorated with silk "Yeah, hopefully." And with that, she fell asleep.

_**A/N: I'm sorry for the wait! Busy stuff, ugh. But there it is! Please Review! **_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:** **Settling In**

Rachel woke up on that Saturday morning, not peacefully, but to Rose Weasley rocking her bed violently back and forth, attempting to wake her up quickly.

"What _are _you bloody doing!?"

"What do you think? I don't want to miss out on breakfast, so you better get dressed. I also want to explore the castle today, and once you're actually awake we'll meet Albus and go look around..." She looked back and glared at the lump that possessed Rachel's bed.

Rachel had thrown the sheets over her head, curled up underneath. Rose whipped the sheets off, sending them flying across the room. After this, Rachel finally agreed to get up and get dressed, though she was unhappy about her morning until she walked into the great hall, waved at Albus, ate, and received her class schedule from Professor Flitwick.

The two girls had finished eating so they wandered over to Albus and sat beside him at the Gryffindor table. They were both welcomed by friendly badgering from Rose's family. Albus finished and they walked around the castle. They were trying to figure out where their classrooms were so that they could be prepared when Monday arrived.

They compared schedules to find that the Gryffies shared many classes with Ravenclaw, which made them incredibly excited. Charms and Transfiguration from Mondays to Thursdays, sharing nothing on Fridays, for Albus had double potions in the morning with the Slytherins, while the Ravenclaws had their dosage of double potions after lunch with the Hufflepuffs.

It was about noon when they had scooped up some lunch from the Great Hall and had gone to eat it by the lake. Rachel just looked out at the scene of the dark sparkling water while Rose explained to Albus how to properly soften an object. Rachel had already known, for she has also read _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_. Rachel didn't mind that Rose took interest in regurgitating words from a textbook, but found it funny. _This is why Rose is my friend_, she thought, a smiling purging from her lips.

After, they went out to the Quidditch pitch to find James and his friends flying around on their new broomsticks, under the permission and watchful eye of Sir Anthony. Albus told them that his dad had bought James a Speed-Streak 800, so it was no doubt that James would be trying it out. Sir Anthony even seemed excited, watching the way it glided through the air. Rachel had to admit, Quidditch seemed amazing. She knew that first years weren't allowed to play on their house team, but she decided then and there, that she would try-out next year.

At around three, they decided to head back to the castle and check out the library. They walked in and Rachel swore that Rose was about to collapse in happiness. Yeah, sure, Rachel was well into books, but no one worshipped them like Rose did. She immediately rushed over to the closest shelf, searching through as if she already had a book in mind. The trio ended up spending the rest of their afternoon there because Rose was so mesmerized. Albus finally convinced her to get moving without even signing out a single book (which was very difficult to convince her that she hadn't need any), for dinner was in a good 10 minutes.

Making their way to the Great Hall, they sat down at their designated tables and ate. The two Ravenclaws finished and said good night to Albus, heading up the Ravenclaw tower to relax in their common room. Rachel sat on the couch by the fire while Rose began to read another textbook. Rachel fell asleep, drifting off as she heard the almost silent breathing of Rose, who was sprawled across a chair, book on her chest. Tomorrow was only the second day, but it felt as if she'd lived here her entire life.

Rachel was being shaken to wake up, again. Her first thought was Rose, but only it didn't seem as violent. She struggled to open her one eye-lid to see Louis, the silvery blond haired boy she had met at the Start-of-Term feast who just happened to be Rose's cousin.

"You better get upstairs with Rose, or you'll get a kink in your neck, eh?"

Rachel sat up slowly, groaning as he was right. "Too late," she murmured. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight." Louis gave her a serious glance. "So I'd hurry if I were you. I already sent Rose off. Dominique should be back from her last check in the corridors soon. Believe me. She will go ballistic if she sees you on the couch."

"It's only the couch. And Dom seems nice so she should understand," she replied, rubbing her eyes.

Louis smirked as he told her, "Dom likes everything and everyone where they should be, so I wouldn't test her patience. I'm her brother, I know what to expect. Go on, kid."

Rachel gave him a joking glare. "I'm not a kid. You're only what, two years ahead of me?"

"Then I guess we're both kids," he said, smiling as they walked by the statue. "Night kid," said Louis, as he ducked down the boys' dorm hall.

"Ugh! I'm not a kid!" she shouted down his hall. She saw him smiling as he turned into his room.

Just at that moment, Dominique walked through the common room entrance, hearing the end of her yelling. Dominique looked furious.

"You're going to wake everyone up!" she whispered loudly.

Rachel gave a small, innocent shrug and tiptoed to the end of the hall and sneaked into bed. All she heard was the loud snores of Shania. _What a real_ _Sleeping Beauty_, she thought.

It was Sunday and Rose was going crazy. She was running around the castle for a last minute check to see if she had remembered where their classes were. Rachel and Albus decided to let Rose do her own thing as they visited the owlry. Rachel and Albus had letters to send home.

_Dear Mum, Ms. Grenval, and Daryl_

_Hogwarts is truly amazing and I wish that you could all see it! The castle is humongous! I'm in Ravenclaw! I guess that means I'm smart? Though I'll be honest and say that I thought that I was going to be placed in Gryffindor. The hat almost put me in Slytherin? I was surprised that it had considered that house, but it doesn't really matter now. _

_Anyway, I made some friends on the train: Albus Potter and Rose Weasley. They've had magic their entire lives, which is really cool and all, but it wasn't much to relate to at first._

_Albus is really funny but he was really shy at first. Rose is also really funny, but she had no problem with introducing herself to me. She's actually quite loud, but she loves books, which almost sounds like an oxymoron. She loves them ten times more than I do! We spent a lot of yesterday in the library trying to pull her away from the shelves! _

_Back to what I was saying, Rose was placed in Ravenclaw with me, so we're going to have so much fun! As for Albus, he was placed in Gryffindor but that's okay because we have so many classes with him. It's going to rock! _

_We also took a look at the Quidditch pitch and found James, Albus' brother, and his 'posy' showing off to Professor Anthony, the Quidditch instructor. Quidditch looks really cool and I hope I make the team next year. I think I'd be really fun! Albus and Rose continuously tell me that it's really dangerous, but I can tell that Albus secretly wants to play it too. _

_Albus and Rose say that they play it all the time, but the two tell me that Rose just genuinely sucks at most positions, but knows every fact there is to know about it and that Albus is a sturdy seeker because his dad taught him a ton of stuff. Do you think that I could get a broom? I would love to practice over the summer even if it's second hand. I'll be learning the basics this year, so we'll see if I'm any good!_

_I hope to see you soon!_

_Love Rachie! _

_P.S. Mum, what house were you in? You as well Ms. Grenval!_

They sent their letters off.

The Great Hall seemed to make her feel that it was waiting for her nearing lunch. Rose was still about doing her own thing. The two had settled in at the Gryffindor table despite her house.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

Albus looked relaxed. "Yeah, go for it."

"Well, it's been bugging me since we arrived. I wanted to know why Rose hates him?" She pointed over to Martin who was sitting at the other end, opposite of the head table.

Albus paused. He took a breath as if he had answered this question a few times. "James and Martin are friends. Martin's pretty awful if I don't say so myself, but..."

"What?" said Rachel.

He sighed. "He's not as bad as Rose makes him out to be. Sure, he uses the term "mud-blood", but it's not like James invites him over a lot. Mainly it's James who visits him." Albus looked down at the table. "James told me that he doesn't like it when he says it, but he doesn't really care as long as it doesn't offend someone that much. And that's why Rose hates him. Because he doesn't have a filter."

Rachel looked back at Martin, laughing with James and his other friends. "I guess as long as it's not hurting anyone."

Albus nodded, still looking at the table.

"I don't even know what it means. Gosh, being new to magic just sucks."

Albus was about to explain when Rose sat down. They silently agreed to change topics.

"So, watcha talking 'bout?"

Albus looked to Rachel.

"Albus was just explaining wizards' chess," she muttered. "What have you been up to?"

"Well, I decided to stop by the library again and I signed out a few books."

Rose piled a good ten books onto Rachel's lap.

"A few?!"

Albus just sat quietly and buried his head in his hands.

Walking to their first class that Monday was simple because they knew exactly where to go. Rose was eager as ever and Albus and Rachel found it almost impossible to keep her sitting in her seat. Professor Flitwick seemed happy with Rose's persistence and asked to see her after class. Albus and Rachel were welcome to accompany her if they wished, but Albus had to get to going.

"Rose Wealey, ah yes. I remember teaching your mother."

Rachel gave a look of surprise at Rose.

"She was probably the brightest witch of her age, by far."

"Thank you, sir. She's taught me everything she can."

"I hope so, Miss Gra- Weasley. I look forward to you in my class." He then glimpsed at Rachel. "You as well, Miss Higgins," he added. Rachel sensed that he was just being polite.

The two left and headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts. They were a bit late but snuck in easily.

At lunch, they grabbed a few sandwiches and headed down to sit by the lake. Rachel was beginning to realize that she wasn't going to see much of her favourite muggle drink, Coca Cola, at Hogwarts. Thankfully, pumpkin juice wasn't bad at all.

They had transfiguration next, which they had been excited about. The two walked into the classroom and sat at the very front.

_That was a mistake. _

The professor walked into the classroom, shoes clicking on the floor. Everyone looked up and saw a slim silvery-blond haired woman.

"Transfiguration. Can someone please explain the term?" she said sharply.

Immediately, Rose's hand shot up. "Transfiguration is the alteration of an object by changing the object's molecular structure."

She walked over to Rose's desk. "Indeed." She then backed up, addressing the rest of the class. "I am Professor Shardlow." She looked sternly at the students. "I take the study of Transfiguration quite seriously. If you plan on passing this class, I suggest you pay attention. We wouldn't want any-" she paused, looking at Rachel, who was tapping her quill on her desk, not paying much attention. "-Mishaps."

They opened their books and read for what seemed like forever. Professor Shardlow would lurch over her shoulder like a shadow: there but not always visible.

They left class, heading off towards History of Magic. This time they managed to clear three seats together near the back, which was good, but this teacher didn't seem hostile.

Once that was over, they decided they'd sit in the Great Hall. They were kindly met on their way by a poltergeist named Peeves. He would float in and knock her books out of Rachel's hand, trying to be the biggest nuisance they'd ever come across.

"If he was solid, I would pummel him so much-" she found herself murmuring under her breath.

After dinner they headed up to their rooms and slept. It would have been peaceful, but Rachel had one of _those_ dreams again.

**A/N: Please review hobbits. LOL sorry, I call my friends Hobbits all the time. Especially one, who always walks around school barefoot. That fits, doesn't it? :D**


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